The Deception
by DraconisAvis
Summary: What if the story you knew was a lie? What if the real war didn't start in the 1930's? What if it started 6 centuries ago and all because one wizard vowed vengeance against his once best friend over a witch? Or that he orchestrated a whole war to tarnish and completely ruin his friends reputation leaving only him as the hero, the better of the two.
1. Chapter 1

16th century London, England. Slytherin Cottage.

"Why can't we go to Hogwarts mummy?" Phoenix James asked as her mother braided her sister's hair. "Is it because Grandma Ro died?"

"Partly my dear, but also because you are already far more advanced than the third years and your only eight years old" Her mother smiled at her in a way that signaled the conversation was over.

Its how its always been she thought, ever since she could remember, her Grandfather Sal had died when she was four, two months after the birth of her youngest twin siblings Rigel Loki and Vega Evander and since then it was if they couldn't go anywhere without their grandmother. It also always baffled her how different her siblings where, Loki and Evie had auburn red hair, Castor and Katana had pale blonde almost white hair, while her sister Billy and brother Reagan had hair as black as night. Though their hair was different they all had the same emerald green eyes their mother Perenelle has. He mother said that when she was pregnant with them she was blessed by a phoenix and it was how for the first time in history magical triplets where born. Her second pregnancy she was blessed by the ice fae and out came Castor and Katana and her last pregnancy she was blessed by a unicorn. Being blessed by different magical beings made them all different, not only physically but magically.

They all honed different talents, as the first born Phoenix was not only named for the magical being but was also granted the gifts of traveling through phoenix fire, natural legilemency that made it so when ever she saw into someone's mind no matter the barriers or shields she would see their past, their whole past and their present but never their future. The closest she can get is when she was in magical house or building, she could see through the eyes of the portraits by touching a wall. Arcturus Reagan had the ability to see things miles away and carry things five times his weight. Columba William or Billy can memorize anything, directions, names, faces, books and recall them all within seconds as well as reading hundred paged books in seconds absorbing every word as she went. Pollux Castor was given the ability to see up too ten years into someone's future but has to physically touch them in order to do so, as well as survive freezing temperatures in the middle of winter without getting cold. Elara Katana had the power to blow icy wind and freeze anything she comes in contact with. Rigel Loki and Vega Evander or Evie where both blessed with the ability to sense danger miles away but where natural healers.

Besides the gifts they where blessed with, they also inherited gifts from their family. Intelligence, wits and creativity from their grandma Ro, an affinity for potions, alchemy, herbology and Arithmacy from their father Nickolas, affinity for ancient runes, astronomy and charms from their mother and Parseltongue and Parselmagic as well as an affinity for transfiguration from their grandfather Sal.

"What aren't you tell us mom?" her mother stopped half way through Billy's braid and looked into the eyes of her eldest daughter, the daughter she most worried about, the one that one day will have the weight of the world on her shoulders. She gave a weak smile, tears started to build up in her eyes, but she wouldn't dare shed them in front of her children.

"You'll know when you're older my dear, for I fear you are too young to yet have the mental maturity needed for the task you where sadly born into" with that she left, leaving behind a confused Billy and a calculating James.

18th Paris, France. Flamel Castle.

"What are you doing?"

"Ouch" James rubbed the top of her head. Her mother's desk was a lot harder than it looked. "Must you sneak up on me like that Evie?"

"Must you go through mother's things? What in Merlin are you even looking for?" Evie folded her arms and stared expectantly at her older sister.

"Don't look at me like that, we may look the same age but I'm still four years older than you Vega" She sneered at her. "And its none of your business what I'm looking for, go and bug Loki, you have a twin for a reason"

"Well then, I see you're in quite the mood, maybe if you kept your emotions in check and kept from snooping around her things mother might just tell you whatever it is you've been in a deranged craze searching for these past two centuries Phoenix" She sneered back and turned to leave when Billy ran in panting.

"Mothers on her way, I think I convinced her I was you" She took a deep breath. "You need to flash us to the library, now!"

James took her sisters arms and fire flashed them to the history section on the third floor of their library dropping their arms instantly. She began to pace.

"No luck I'm guessing?" James shook her head.

"Wait, Billy knows? Why cant I know?" Billy and James locked eyes and simultaneously rolled them.

"She knows because she's my sister"

"So am I!"

"Not my womb sister though" James smirked, knowing how annoyed Evie and Katana always got when they had "Womb" secrets.

"Well then I think mother would probably like to know, since its her office you where snooping through" With a sigh James relented and motioned for both her sisters to sit.

"Fine, but if I'm going to tell you, I might as well tell everyone else, Tilly!"

With a pop a small house elf with a navy blue dress appeared.

"You girls aren't making more work for Tilly are you?" She leveled the three of them with a glare as they shook their head.

"I was just wondering if you could bring Reagan, Katana, Castor and Loki here, that is if you're not busy at the moment" with a sharp nod Tilly popped away and the sister let out the breath they where holding.

"I swear she scares me more than mom and dad do" James and Evie nodded in agreement. A moment later their siblings arrived.

"Sit, this might take a while" And she began telling them everything she had uncovered.

"Keep in mind most of this I got from mom's mind, the rest from the journal I found that belonged to Grandma Ro" They nodded their heads in understanding. "Well according to the journal it all really starts when Grandpas first wife and his his as well as grandma Ro's husband, aunt Helena's father, get murdered by the muggles who lived in Hogsmeade."

"That's when Grandpa decided muggles where dangerous right?"

"Yes Loki, it is. No interrupting. It's a long enough story as it is. As I was saying they got murdered and Grandfather Sal in his grief never thought he would fall in love again or have another heir so he blood adopted a muggleborn in his house whose parents kicked him out for being magical and renamed him Salazar Slytherin Jr., after a few long, lonely years Grandma and Grandpa fell in love much to the displeasure of Godric Gryffindor who always had a thing for Grandma Ro. Everything seemed for a few years but in reality Godric had been trying to cause a rift between Grandma Ro and Grandfather Sal but all his efforts where in vain because all his attempts just brought them together to the point where mom was born. Around that time Godric got into Salazar Jr.'s head, tricking him into believing that he would be pushed aside now that Slytherin had a true heir. Enraged with jealousy he made a pact to kill mom as a baby, but grandfather caught wind of their plan and banished Salazar Jr., his wife and their unborn daughter from Hogwarts. After that Godric challenged Grandfather to a wand duel, the loser having to leave Hogwarts forever. Grandfather lost as you know and had to leave taking mom with him so that she was safe from harms way. Grandma Ro stayed not only to take care of her students but to also watch over the Slytherin's who where left by themselves. Now I'm going to skip over to when Loki and Evie where born, in between those years not much happened that we don't already know. Mom met dad, they become immortal, they had us, we leaved with Grandpa. Well Salazar Jr. now seventy-two was tired of having his grandchildren rejected from attending Hogwarts and poisoned Grandfather Sal to stop the blood curse he had put in place. Once Grandpa died, Grandma Ro came to live with us until she died in her sleep, of natural causes. But before that you all probably remember she gifted me an egg that was in grandfathers chamber at Hogwarts, Orssana the Basilisk who now guards Grandfathers chamber and in the future will be used as a defense mechanism for Hogwarts."

"Is that it?" Katana wrinkled her nose in disappointment. "That's why we can't go to Hogwarts because Godric will kill us? Isn't he dead?"

"Nope apparently he found a way to extend his life, although no one knows since he faked his death and not even his last living son or any of his grandchildren know" Surprise flashed through all their faces.

"Why would he do that?" James rolled her eyes.

"That's what I'm trying to find out, mother once said I was born with a task, but she has yet to say what it is, I think it has something to do with Godric but I'm not sure"

"Well we wont know until she tells you, for now we should continue as we have, training and doing as dad says, live in the present"

With that all seven Flamel siblings went into different parts of the library each continuing their own personal projects.


	2. Chapter 2

1918\. Paris, France. Flamel Castle.

"Pass the marmalade will you Jamie?" With a slight sigh she passed the jar of strawberry marmalade to her brother Castor who dropped the jar the moment his fingers brushed against hers.

"Castor?" She waved a hand in front of his unfocused eyes. Everyone had stopped what they where doing and looked over.

"He's having a vision" Katana moved closer to her twin making sure not to touch him accidently and take him out of what ever premonition he was in the middle of having. Suddenly Castor let out the breath he was apparently holding and looked quizzically at James.

"We need to be in London on December 31st, 1925" With that he grabbed the jar over marmalade and continued on with his breakfast as if nothing happened. His siblings shared confused looks before looking back at James in a way that said 'you ask'.

"And what will we be doing in London on New Years Eve, pray tell?" Castor took a sip of his orange juice and cleared his throat looking up at his sister as if she was in the middle of having a brain fart.

"To witness the birth of our cousin of course" Evie chocked on the piece of omelet she was eating.

"Cousin? I don't remember hearing anyone of Aunt Helena's line being old enough to have kids or even be married yet"

"I didn't say they where from Aunt Helena's line" He looked at each of his siblings almost regretting bringing it up now. "The child will be born of Salazar Jr.'s Line"

"The Gaunts? Aren't they all insane?" Castor sent a withering glare at his twin.

"They aren't totally out of their wits and its not their fault they've been banned from attending Hogwarts and had to reproduce within themselves to carry on their family line, sins of the father should never befall on the child, besides we would be doing this child a mercy, my vision was unlike anything I have ever had, this child is special and I have a feeling he has something to do with your task James."

"What did you see Castor?" Breakfast laid forgotten as they each gave their brother their full attention.

"Godric will try to use him, I saw it but if we take him and fake his dealth he might get a chance of an actual life" He stared unabashed at the shocked looks his siblings where giving him.

"Kidnap a baby? Are you sure you're not completely off your rocker?" Billy reached over and smacked the back of Reagans head while Castor merely rolled his eyes.

"Its either find a way to kidnap him without anyone none the wiser or live with the guilt of knowing he is living a miserable, lonely and unloved life in a dirty muggle orphanage being persecuted because he is different." They all looked down ashamed to be even considering leaving the poor child now knowing the horrible future that lay for him. "I'm not saying we just walk in and take him and walk right out, we have to plan this to the letter, we'll also have to find away to tell mom and dad"

"Have the seven of you been sniffing floo powder again? I thought you learned your lesson the first time about that!" They all simultaneously groaned at being reminded of the unspeakable incident that occurred almost three centuries ago.

"Castor had a vision mother, we have to help him, all we really need is a realistic looking golem to put in his place, we have already spent the morning planning it out" Perenelle looked over at Nickolas silently asking if he was really about to stay quiet on this topic. He shrugged.

"I think we should hear what the kids have to say, they are by all means adults, I'm surprised they are even telling us at all" Perenelle looked into the eye of all her children and sighed, she could see there was no changing their minds.

"Fine, lets hear about this scheme you have all cooked up" She folded her arms and looked expectantly at James.

"The PLAN, not scheme mother, no one is going to get hurt or be manipulated in any way" She raised a brow at her mother as she continued. "I'm going to flash in to the room directly with Castor and speak with... hm, what's her name Castor?"

"Merope"

"Yes, we will speak with Merope and hopefully convince her to sign the adoption papers and consent to be obliviated" Her parents looked at each other before staring back in disbelief.

"And who did you all think would raise him?" The Flamel siblings looked at one another before simultaneously looking at their parents.

"Well you always said how you wanted another child so that we would be equal?"

"Fine, but don't think I will be doing all the work, there are going to be diapers and baths with your names on them" They all cringed slightly, taking care of the baby was not apart of the plan.

December 31st, 1925. Knockturn Alley, London.

Seven years of planning, practicing and anticipating it, the day was finally here. In a small room in the Black Moon Inn James sat on a moth eaten mattress, her hand in her brothers, letting him slowly into her mind in order to see into her near future. This was the moment they would know when they where able to flash into Merope's room at St. Mungo's and if there was going to be any surprise visitors there. With a sigh and a slight smile Castor opened his eyes.

"We are clear so far, no sign of Godric appearing while we are there or any one else actually, I feel bad for Merope, she has no one and we've come to take her only son" James smacked her forehead, this was not the time for Castor to back out now.

"Castor, you said it yourself, he is going to grow up in a muggle orphanage all alone, she obviously either left him there or something happens to her, I know what you're thinking, but we can't save both of them, by the time we get there she would have been looked over for any birth complications and the healer's scans will have confirmed that she was fine. It will be suspicious; we can't risk it. I'm sorry."

"I know Jamie, I just have this bad feeling about leaving her with wiped memories" James nodded, that was the part she was not looking forward to although she was confident in her abilities, she never actually practiced completely obliviating memories from someone's mind as none of her siblings allowed her to practice on them. Mind magic was very complex and dangerous, one wrong move and someone's mind would completely unravel leaving them a mindless body, practically an inferi but with a soul.

"I know Castor, but we all already agreed we would help this child, we need to start preparing, what time will he be born?" He smiled a sad smile at her.

"He will be born exactly at midnight, the best time for us to go is two in the morning" James nodded and laid on the mattress.

"We should take a rest, its going to be quite the night"

They slept until half past one, both silently going through the plan in their heads as they paced around the small room. As two in the morning came around they magically locked their room, took each others hand and with that flashed away in an array of black flames.

They landed in a dark hospital room, only the sounds of soft snores and small chatter from the reception desk could be heard. They inched towards the hospital bed where a homely young girl laid exhausted, a sleeping baby boy in his own little crib next to her. James swallowed down the lump that had started to form in her own throat, Merope was so young, she looked barely seventeen. With a wave of her hand she lit the candelabra that was on the table next the bed and softly pushed Merope's shoulder.

"Merope, we've come to talk to you" After a few more whispered calls and gentle nudges she finally awoke, confused and slightly fearful. "Don't worry we aren't here to harm you child"

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" James sighed looking at her brother before turning back to the exhausted new mother.

"My name is Phoenix and this is my brother Pollux, we are your cousins" Merope bliked looking from Castor to James and back again.

"Cousins? I don't have any family besides my brother and my father who was an only child" James shook her head this was going to be harder than she thought, they had counted on the story of Salazar Slytherin Jr.'s banishment to be recounted throughout the generations.

"You come from the line of Salazar Slytherin through his adopted son, Salazar Jr. we come from his line through our mother his only daughter, Perenelle Flamel nee Slytherin" Upon hearing their mothers name Meropes eyes widened.

"Flamel? You are related to Nicolas Flamel?" They nodded, glad that she was making connections.

"Yes, he is our father, and before you say anything, yes it is possible, to keep her immortality she had to continue drinking the elixir of life during her pregnancies which altered our blood and magic, hence we are also immortal but self sustaining, we don't have to rely on the stone" Merope nodding as if she understood but looked slightly confused.

"I still don't understand what you both came here for?" They took a deep breath, this was it.

"We've come to take your son"


	3. Chapter 3

January 1st,1926. London, England.

Black Flames erupted in the small dark room, it was barely past four in the morning on New Years day. A small dark hair child slept soundly in the arms of a stranger, completely oblivious to what had occurred only moments before.

Flash black:

"What?!" Merope jumped off the bed with an energy the three of them didn't know she had and grabbed her child. "You can't take him away! He is my son!"

"Merope please, its what's best for him! Can you honestly tell me you have the ability to care for him? Your so young and I know for a fact you where kicked out of your house, where would you live?" Castor desperately tried to reason with Merope. He knew what was coming, he hadn't prepared James and now regretted the fact that the shame and guilt she will be feeling from now on would be because of his careless decision in thinking he could change the future.

"Then we won't live then!" Tears and anguish filled Merope as he hugged her child fiercely to her chest. James stomach dropped.

"Are you actually willing to kill not only yourself but your child too?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing, but one look into Merope's eyes was all it too to confirm the madness that ran through Gaunts had taken Merope as well. With out even really thinking about it, James raised her hand toward Merope. "Imperio! Hand the baby over to Castor"

Merope obideintly handed over the child, her mind and magic so weak there wasn't even the slightest resistance. James took out the scolls and a blood quill and laid them on the bed. "Sign your name at the bottom" Merope complied and signed her name on the magical adopt paper. James rolled up the scroll and placed it back in her cloak pocket. She looked back at Merope, the gravity of what she had just done started to weigh on her, but she couldn't stop know, it would only be harder. "Get in bed and go to sleep"

Once her eyes had closed James sat on the bed next to her taking Merope's small hands in her own and delve inside her head. It was like walking through air going through Merope's mind, it was open. Finding the memory of the last hour was easy as was obliviating it completely from her mind, no legilimens in the world would be able to ever retrieve it, her mind simply didn't grab on her thoughts and memories. Their tracks where covered.

She turned to her brother her looked at her with guilt and sadness in his eyes. She shook her head it wasn't the time or the place to start an argument, he handed the baby over to her and grasped her arm as she flashed them back to the inn.

Present:

"Jamie"

"Grab our things we need to go back home, everyone is waiting for us" With a nod Castor grabbed their bags and making sure they where not leaving anything behind before he walked back over to his sister and retook her arm a dread filling his stomach.

They flashed into the living room where everyone was anxiously waiting. Billy kick Loki and Reagan awake and walked over right behind their mother. James silently passed the sleeping baby boy to her mother and began walking out of the room.

"Jamie please! I'm sorry, I thought I could change what would happen" Smack.

"You out of anyone should know that the future and past time lines are linear, time can not be completely changed, what you see will always happen, you can only change what you can't see!" and with that James stalked out of the room leaving Castor to explain what had occurred at St. Mungo's.

It wasn't until she had awoken in the late afternoon that it had occurred to her, the future Castor saw will always happen. His visions never failed to come true, no matter how many times they tried to change it. If that where true, then how was it that Castor saw Merope's child growing up in a Muggle orphanage? That thought stuck with her as she walked down to the kitchens for some food.

"You're finally awake I see" Her mother sat on the kitchen table rocking a very fussy newborn to sleep, or at least attempting to. James took the child in her arms and smiled as he immediately began to drift off. "What an absolute miracle, no one has been able to put the little tyke to sleep all day!"

"What have you decide to name him?" James gently brushed her thumb against his soft cheek, she had never really carried a baby, she was far to young to carry any of the twins when they where little and although they where close to the descendants of her aunt Helena's line, she never had the interest in holding anyone of them.

"Castor said he was to be named Tom after his father, a bit of a common name I say, but a perfectly fine nickname, don't you think?" James nodded, they all had very unique names and from the time they where able to speak they all preferred going by either their middle names or shortened versions of them. "Your father and I decided on Polaris Tommen. We've already sent the adoption scroll to the French ministry with his new name and our signature. He is officially a Flamel."

"Polaris, the north star?" James grinned catching the meaning behind the name.

"Well of course seeing as our lives will be revolving around him for a while, it only made sense."

The first six months since Tom's arrival at Flamel castle where the best and the worst. The best because the joy of having a baby in the house was unprecedented, there was always someone happily volunteering to look after him and soon he began to flourish under the care and love that each of the Flamels gave him. They where also the worst because though baby Tom was as happy as any child, two of his adopted siblings where not speaking to each other and hadn't been since the day he arrived.

James haunted by not only her actions but the way she herself had decided it was only way to turn the situation to her favor, but also rage towards her once partner in crime Castor for not warning her. Castor on the other hand was filled with guilt for what his suppressing information has done to his eldest sister. Any time they are in a room together it becomes unbearably uncomfortable to the point that they've both decided to stay in their rooms. It wasn't until her father, tired of seeing his children fight, finally cornered her in one of their Alchemy lessons.

"Jamie, when are you going to stop torturing yourself over this? Its been months, all you ever do is lock yourself in your room, you hardly ever come out for meals and you've abandoned all your projects." James shrugged as she turned the burner off and levitated the hot cauldron full of the elixir of life and set it on the table to cool. "You did nothing wrong Nixie"

James rolled her eyes at the pet name her father had given her and turned to him. "Nothing wrong? I used the imperious curse on her, a confused girl who had just woken up to two complete strangers telling her they where about to take the child she had just given birth too!" and in that moment for the first time since she was two, Phoenix James Flamel sobbed into her father's chest. "I'm just as bad as him, aren't I daddy? This is what Godric's been doing to innocent wizards and now I've gone and done it as well"

"Listen to me Nixie, you saved two lives, Merope's mental state after all that she has gone through was not well. Everyone has heard of the madness that comes with inbreeding, look at the Blacks, they also come Salazar Jr.'s line and up until now they've been fine. Will they be in the future? No one but Castor can tell you that. Besides you used the imperious curse of its intended purpose. The curse was originally made to help those with mental conditions to take their potions and to keep them from harming themselves and others. Did you not pay any attention to your mother's history lessons?"

James shook her head; history was not her favorite subject to study.

"Then maybe you should ask her for a refresher course, knowing our history is very important Nixie, knowledge is power, especially in our world, it's best to always be prepared"

From that day on James studied history like a mad woman, any and every book they had she read, she delved through old tomes and scrolls devouring the information and wishing she had her sister Billy's gift of information absorption, although organizing her mind as her parents had taught her helped her a lot. She made amends with Castor and soon the two of them became closer than before. Tom began to grow into a brilliant and powerful young boy, picking up spells and potions almost as fast as they all did when they where younger. As they years flew by it seemed as if all was well, that was until two days after Tom' s eleventh birthday. The day Albus Dumbledore came to Flamel Castle.


	4. Chapter 4

January 2nd, 1936. Flamel Castle, France.

They where in the middle of lunch when Tilly popped in and anxiously walked towards Nickolas. Everyone turned to the normally head strong elf curious to see what has gotten her into a nervous tizzy.

"Master Nick, Young Dumbledore is in front room, he wishes to speak with you, immediately, he says its an emergency, Tilly says to him that she'll see if you is available." Nickolas turned to Perenelle befuddlement etched on his face.

"Albus? Here? I've never told him where we lived, not even when he was my apprentice! How on earth has he found us?" He turned back to Tilly seeing her wriggle uncomfortably. "What on earth is wrong with you today Tilly?"

"Tilly isn't quit sure how to tell Master Nick, but Young Dumbledore is not the same, his magic feels different then before, shaded and darker than before"

"Do you think he is delving in the dark arts?" Perenelle shook her head at her husband.

"Albus Dumbledore and dark arts can only be said in one sentence and that involves the word hate. There is no way, something else is going on, he probably needs your help curing a dark curse." Nick nodded his head as he stood.

"You are right, that sounds more logical my love" He kissed her forehead and turned to his children. "Keep out of sight, all of you, I don't know what's going on and so far he knows about most of you but hasn't seen you or felt your magical signature, all he knows is that James writes books under different pennames and that I have seven children"

"But you have eight" Nick turned to the small voice to his left and smiled down.

"That I do little tadpole, but no one can know, if the wizarding public where to know they would hound us for pictures and information and trust me you would not want that attention" Tom nodded as he ate his toast with marmalade, his father made sense. "Well I better go see what has warranted this unexpected visit"

Ten seconds. That was the exact amount of time they all waited before turning to James and sending her their 'are we spying or are we not spying' look. James rolled her eyes, she could care less what Dumbledore wanted, the way her father talked about him and the things she has read about him in books and papers gave her the impression that he reveled in the spotlight, a drama queen of sorts. She turned to mother hoping to have an alley and was shocked to see her mother looking at her expectantly as well.

"Not you too, mother isn't this the time where you tell us off for trying to listen to other people's conversation and how its bad manners?" Her mother shrugged and pursed her lips.

"Well yes but, something is off about this, you heard Tilly, I know for a fact your father will ask him about it, aren't you curious at all Jamie? Because it has been a while since we've had any good gossip around here." James crossed her arms, well of course she was curious now. With a sigh she moved her chair to the nearest wall, she couldn't believe what a gossip her mother turned out to be. She made herself comfortable and watched as everyone rushed over to sit around her.

"Ok, I'll tell you what I see and the short version of what they are saying alright?" They nodded and James rolled her eyes at her mother bringing over a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits. She placed her hand on the wall and closed her eyes focusing on the portrait of her parents in her father's study and slowly opened her eyes. To everyone else James looked to be in a sort of trance, her eyes turned glassy and gray as if her eyes where being blocked by storm clouds.

James had the perfect view of her father's study, through her mother's portrait eyes she could see her father sitting behind his desk and Dumbledore pacing in front of it. She recounted what she saw and reminded her siblings not talk so she could here what they where saying.

The Study of Nickolas Flamel:

"If you keep pacing like that you'll create a draft Albus, will you please sit and just tell me what has brought you all the way to France in the winter?" Dumbledore paused before nodding and taking a seat.

"How well acquainted is your wife with her extended family?" Nickolas leaned back wondering where exactly Albus was going with this.

"What do you mean Albus? The only family Perenelle sees is me and our children" James back in the dinning room asked her mother why Dumbledore would want to know such a personal question that has nothing to do with him. Her mother chose not to respond.

"So she has never reached out to the Blacks?" Nickolas shook his head honestly, the Blacks cared way too much about blood purity to be any use in any intellectual conversation. Albus nodded before looking into straight into Nickolas's eyes. "Nor the Gaunts?"

James swore. They had been caught. They had to be, why else was Dumbledore here talking about the Gaunts, either she botched obliviating Merope or the dead golem of baby tom her father had made failed to surpass an identity test. Her siblings inched toward her, she hadn't told them what had just happened, she needed more information before she set this lot off.

"The Gaunts? There are still some of them alive?" Her father, ever the calm wizard played it off well so far.

"Actually only three of them are alive" Dumbledore folded his hands on his lap and continued. "Marvolo the father is in Jail, and his only son Morfin is living by himself in the family's cottage in Little Hangelton. But that is not what I'm here to talk to you about, I'm here to talk about Marvolo's daughter, Merope Gaunt."

James held her breath, she could feel the blood draining from her face. In the distance she could here her mother asking her what was happening. "Get him out of the room"

"Who? James, what is going on?" having trouble keeping up with both conversations she took her hand off the wall and turned to her mother.

"Tilly!" The elf popped back in and leveled James with a glare at the tone she had summoned her with, normally James would have cowered back, but she was too fired up. "Take Tom to his room, he is not to leave, not until Dumbledore is gone"

"What?! Why do I have to go to my room?" Tom crossed his arms and pouted his lips.

"Don't ask questions and do as I say Polaris, now!" with that Tilly took Toms arm and they popped away. James turned to her mother. "Dumbledore says he's here to talk about Merope, he knows mom"

Like a kettle hitting boiling point a shriek was heard as everyone panicked. Castor shook his head. "There is no way we covered our tracks, it must be something else, go back and see what they are saying"

Back in the Study:

"You see Nickolas, Merope Gaunt died eleven years ago giving birth to a child in a muggle orphanage, where he currently resides." Nickolas fought to keep a calm composure as Albus went on. "Her son, Tom Marvolo Riddle, is the first born wizard in the Gaunt line in three generations"

"I don't understand what I have to with this child Albus, unless you are asking me to take him in?" Albus shook his head.

"No, no Nickolas he is rather fond of his current residence and since he will be attending Hogwarts in the fall I think it might be too much change for him" Nickolas nodded, now more confused then ever. "The boy seems to have acquired a special skill though, he is a parslemouth."

Nickolas pretended to be surprised. "A parslemouth? There hasn't been one since Salazar Slytherin himself!"

Albus nodded taking the lie, Nickolas knew there was hundreds if not thousands of parselmouth's in the world today, his wife and all eight of his children being some of them, most just hide their ability in fear of being branded "dark" or evil. But he couldn't tell Albus bloody 'Slytherin's are the enemy' Dumbledore that, the poor boy would have apoplexy. Instead he played on.

"What I came here to ask you is if you could go to the orphanage and scan his aura, so far I have gotten the impression he is heading down a very dark path my dear friend and I would like a second opinion on my assessment." Nickolas agreed immediately this was something he not only could do but wanted to, he had to confirm with his own eyes that there was an eleven-year-old boy named Tom in a muggle orphanage, just as Castor had predicted eighteen years ago.

Not long after Albus left unaware of the hysteria he had caused. James too busy trying to calm everyone down had failed to hear the rest of the conversation and sat with her siblings waiting for their father to recant the rest to them.

An hour later Nickolas rounded up his family, minus Tom, he wasn't sure he was ready to tell Tom about his true origins or the way he had came to live with them, he had to talk to Perenelle, Castor and especially James to see how and when they wanted to tell him. He shuddered, that was one of the conversations he knew James would be difficult to reason with about. As the last of his elder children came in and the doors closed he turned to his anxious family.

"Tomorrow myself, James and your mother will be heading to Wools Orphanage in London to assess a child's magical aura. They will be attending Hogwarts in the fall" Confusion erupted between them all.

"What? What does this have to do with Merope? I thought our gooses where well and truly cooked and you where about to tell us to pack because we where going on the run" Katana turned to Evie.

"Are you an idiot? We wouldn't have to run, we have so much money, resources and things we have invented going around the wizarding world that the ICW would rather give us a medal for murder than risk having us pull it all out and leaving not only the economy in tatters but without many potion recipes, books and spells the wizarding world will be yanked back to the dark ages! Sometimes I wonder if the fall you had during quidditch two centuries ago damaged your brain" Evie scoffed at her older sister upset with the insinuation.

"Katana, don't insult your sister and Evie, I'm getting to the reason why Albus brought up Merope" He took a deep breath. "Albus is under the impression that Merope died giving birth to Tom"

The speed in which everyone's heads turned to James and Castor was astonishing, it was a miracle no one had recieved a whiplash. James and Castor turned to each other both confused and fearful of what this could mean but also annoyed that their family thought they had killed Merope.

"We didn't kill her, I swear she was alive and healthy when we left her, well physically anyway"

"That's not all, the Tom that Albus was referring to is apparently and eleven-year-old orphan" James shook her head this was the exact thing castor had said would happen to Tom, but that was impossible, he had been living with them the past eleven years.

"How is that possible?" Nickolas shrugged he himself was anxious to know the answer to that as well.

"That's what we are going to find out tomorrow" They nodded, so far the where in the clear. "One last thing though, apparently the boy is a parslemouth"


	5. Chapter 5

January 3rd, 2018. Wools Orphanage, London.

She couldn't sleep the whole night, just thinking about the implications of what the morning could bring left her anxious.

"Are you sure this is the right address?" James turned to her parents in confusion the crumble building in front of them looked abandoned, this was meant to be a children's home?

"Yes, this is the address Albus gave me yesterday. Anyway we are wasting time, we are meant to be a family looking to adopt a child, our meeting with Mrs. Cole is in ten minutes" He patted his pockets before bringing out three gray murky potions. He handed one to both Perenelle and James and uncapped his. "I invented this to not only hide our magical signature, making us come off as muggles, but also slightly blur our features so that once we leave it will me hard for the people hear to recall how we look or even recognize us later on"

James scrunched her nose, her father was brilliant, that she couldn't deny but it seemed like every potion he ever made tasted vile. She uncapped her potion and without thinking about it she drank it in one go. She gagged as her brain finally caught up with her taste buds, she need to find a way to improve the taste of potions without risking the integrity of it. As the potion settled in she began to feel uncomfortable as it her body was being tightly bound.

"Did you just bind our magic?!" Her father gave her a guilty smile.

"I tried to make a potion that would cloak our magical signatures but they just made my magic seem weaker, which when compared to the normal witch and wizard we are very powerful, so the child would know we where magical" Perenelle turned to her husband furious at how he tricked them. Nickolas shrunk back a bit at the look his wife was giving him. "Well if I told you it would bind your magic would you have taken it?"

"NO!" Perenelle and James simultaneous yelled.

"Well its too late now and it'll start to slowly wear off in an hour so we best be on then" He began walking towards the front door of the orphanage leaving behind two irate witches to trail behind him.

An older woman with cropped gray hair and a stern face met them at the door. The three simultaneous groaned inwardly, this woman did not give off the warm, happy and inviting presence an orphanage matron ought to have.

"You must be the Rowen Family, welcome to Wools Orphanage" She gave them a grim smile which in her defense was probably what she thought was her best smile.

"Yes we are here to see about adopting an eleven-year-old boy" Her grim smile faltered.

"Oh, well we only have one eleven-year-old boy here and I don't mean to say such awful things about a child, but" she leaned closer. "The boy is cursed, any time he is near by I feel a chill go up my spine, strange things happen when he's around. All the children fear him"

James rolled her eyes, of course all these things were happening, the child was a wizard he was obviously going to start showing accidental magic. She looked the matron in the eye and started taking in her life's memories, the matrons family had died years ago, she had started working at Wools in order to fill a void that was left in her. James speed up the memories she could look back at them later if she had to, it was the one downside to her gift, the memories she saw stuck with her. She stopped once she saw a very haggard Merope clutching a bulging belly, the time and date of the day was only hours after her and Castor had left. How was this possible?

Through the matron she was able to witness everything, Merope giving birth, her last words of having the child be named Tom Marvolo Riddle and her taking her last breath, James zeroed in on the child who seemed a bit too alert and awake to be a new born child. The baby opened his eyes and she gasped, he looked just like Tom, except his eyes, while her Tom had emerald green eyes like all of Slytherin's descendants, this baby had hazel brown eyes, the same eyes that all of Godric Gryffindor's descendants had.

Although it seemed as if hours had past in James's mind only a few minutes had truly gone by. As she came back to the real world she noticed they where all walking up the stairs behind the matron, her body was on autopilot as her mind caught back up. As they reached the landing her mother came to a stop a look of disbelief and horror on her face.

"Stop, we, I-I don't we are ready for another child I am afraid I'm already having second thoughts and I wouldn't want to get the child's hopes up" The matron nodded.

"Of course, adoption can be scary and its very considerate of you to think about his feelings, most people don't" Perenelle nodded, her face still pale and her eyes trained at the door at the end of the corridor that was ajar and had a pair of blazing hazel brown eyes peering out.

Once outside Nickolas turned to his shaking wife. "What in Merlin was that Perry? We had to go in and actually see the child"

"That is no child" Her eyes stayed on the orphanage. "We can not have any part of what is going on here"

"What the broomsticks are you on about?" He turned to his daughter who like her mother was staring at the orphanage as if it where about to eat them. "What is going on?"

"Mums right, that is no child" James turned to her father. "I saw into the matron's mind, everything happened just as Dumbledore said, Merope came here only hours after we left her hospital room and gave birth right in that entry way and died right after"

"That's not possible!" Nickolas shook his head not believing the fantasy his wife and daughter where telling him.

"It is with the Altera Vita ritual" Perenelle turned and sped walked out of the orphanage court yard and onto the busy sidewalk. James and Nickolas hurried after her, curious to have her explain what she was on about.

"Perry! Slow down will you, you're knocking all the muggles!" Nickolas grabbed his wife's arms and pulled her into a narrow alley, James walking just behind them.

"Nick we need to get out of here, right now, I'll explain when we get home" Nickolas nodded seeing for the first time the true fear in his wife's eyes.

"The potion hasn't worn off yet, we will need to call Tilly to pop us back to the castle" Perry nodded and huddled closer to him. "Tilly!"

The elf popped into the alley way confused, and turned to the three strangers that where standing there with her. "Why you be calling Tilly? Who are you?"

"Tilly, its me Nick, we've taken a potion that has bound our magic and we need you to pop us home" Tilly narrowed her eyes at them in disbelief. Nick rolled his eyes, at times Tilly's over protectiveness was amazing but currently it was annoying. "Our code word for emergencies is Pace P.R.V."

Tilly's eyes widened and in an instant she grabbed on to their clothing and popped them into library. "Tilly will be in the kitchen Master Nick"

The three of them stood still for a few moments allowing their minds to stop spinning before walking to the couches by the fire place. Unanticipated elf apparation was unpleasant, better than normal operation when you know its coming but dizzying when you don't. Once they where settled Perenelle began.

"The Altera Vita ritual is a very old, very obscure ritual from the late twelfth century, it was originally made to give those who where either born with a body deformity or caught a grave illness a second chance at living a better life." James and Nickolas where practically sat at the edge of the couch as she went on.

"The basics of it is that the person with the dying or deformed body slices a part of their skin and puts it into a cauldron filled with unicorn's blood, they then need to add seven drops of their own blood as well as the blood of their host or carrier and lastly they need fresh placenta. Once its all mixed the carrier must willingly drink all the potion and as the last drops of potion are swallowed the one who will be given a second life must chant a series of specific runic words with their hands placed on the stomach of the carrier. Once complete the soul will leave the body and enter the carriers, forming a fetus" Perenelle paused giving her husband and daughter a chance to absorb the information she just laid on them.

"The fetus will grow rapidly becoming a full term baby in a matter of hours, depending on how powerful the persons who was going through the rituals magic was, by that time the carrier will give birth to them like a normal child, except the person is able to retain their memories from their last life. The only downsides to the ritual is that once out of the womb they will grow at a normal pace and the carrier will die." Silence greeted her as she finished. It was like an information overload. Nickolas cleared his throat.

"How do you know all this?" Perenelle stood and walked to the fireplace.

"It's in the Ravenclaw Grimoire, my great grandfather invented the ritual to give my great aunt a second chance at a normal life, she had caught a strange incurable illness during her travels. The Grimoire is not common knowledge, besides myself and the two of you only my ancestors and the people my mother allowed to see the book would know of this ritual" James caught what on to what her mother was saying.

"Who did Grandma Ro show the Ravenclaw Grimoire to?" Tension filled in her stomach as her mother sighed.

"When they built Hogwarts the four of them agreed that they would share their knowledge and resources in order to give their students a better well rounded education, so they all taught each other spells, potions and languages and shared books and scrolls they had obtained." Nickolas wrapped his arms around his wife and gave her a gentle squeeze encouraging her to go on. "There was a time once when my mother came to live with us after my father died, she told me she was worried because she lent the Grimoire to Godric, she said once he had given it back to her he had seemed different some how. The Grimoire is bound to every Ravenclaw, it can show us anything we want, if you know how to ask for it, who the last person to read it was, even what they read, and that's how she found out Godric had spent three days reading the pages the ritual was on."

"You think Godric was the Tom Riddle Albus saw in the orphanage rebirthed?" Perenelle nodded, her husband was at times slow at grasping the obvious when it didn't have to do with alchemy or books.

"I know its him, I can sense it, the way he stared at me back there, it has to be him, no one alive but Godric and I know the exact runic chants for that ritual." It was in that moment that James stood and left the library, everything had suddenly clicked in her mind, she needed to talk to her siblings, immediately.


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you sure James?" Billy paced anxiously in front of her, all seven of them where sat in the observatory, James had just relayed the days' events to her siblings who couldn't believe they where hearing. They unfortunately had to sneak behind Tom's back as he did not yet know the truth about his origins.

"Yes, I am sure and if you still believe I'm being delusion you can go to the library and talk with mother but I highly doubt you'll want to do that right now, she's very upset" Billy sat next to Katana going through all the books she has ever read trying to recall ever reading something like the Altera Vita ritual but came up empty.

"Of course she's upset, Godric's gone and bloody gave himself a second body in which he can possibly take over Hogwarts!" Katana flung herself back on the couch, her siblings where beginning to irritate her, why couldn't they just go and confront him? He was in a child's body for Merlin's sake!

"There is no need to be hysterical about it Katana, and no we can not just go and confront him, have you not been paying any attention? He may have a child's body but his magic is just as strong and he still has a centuries worth more of spells and experience than we do" Katana rolled her eyes at the tongue lashing her sister was giving her.

At times it felt like she could never do anything without her eldest sister lecturing her. She understood that as first born James was her future head of house even though she wasn't male, their grandparents had witnessed her magical prowess as a baby and dubbed her their combined heir and once their mother passed it on to her James would become Lady Slytherin and Ravenclaw since the Flamel title would being going to Reagan.

"Yes James" that was the response she had long ago decided was the safest way to respond to her sister after many fights that ended up with her getting her arse handed to her both mentally and magically.

The stress and anxiousness James was feeling was practically radiating out of her to the point that Castor felt the need to walk over and embrace his sister. It was common knowledge by now that no one but Castor could calm James down when she got worked up ever since even before he was born James would even find laying her head on the right side of her mother's stomach when she was pregnant with Castor and Katana very calming, but only the right side which they late found was the side Castor was on inside the womb.

After they had reconciled from the long six month fight they seemed closer than before, at times it seemed like there was a glow to them when they where near each other, most of the time their siblings brushed it off as the light casting on them, but tonight in the barely lit observatory the glow was very prominent and they could no longer ignore it. Evie the less tactful of them all decided to be blunt in her investigation.

"Why on earth do you two glow like that?" James and Castor looked up in confusion.

"What do you mean Evie?" Billy, Reagan, Loki and Katana looked at each other before slowly seeping deeper into the couch, they where all leaning back eagerly letting Evie take the lead on this one.

"Do the both of you honestly not know?" Seeing the confused looks on their faces Evie transfigured a small potted muggle plant called geranium into a mirror and stood directly in front of her siblings who where still wrapped in a golden glow.

"What is that?" James leaned forward and out of Castors embrace to get a closer look at the glow in the mirror, however as soon as she was separated from him the glow vanished. With a quizzical look she leaned back onto Castor and watched in awe as they began to glow again. The trauma of what they had discovered about Godric and their family grimoire was instantly forgotten, they had a new mystery to discover.

"I think we need to go see mum and dad" Castor and James walked a few steps behind their siblings confused and alarmed with what they just discovered they felt like freaks.

They found their parents still in the seating area of the library having a whispered conversation. As they neared their mother looked up and smiled at them. She loved when they where all together, at times it felt like a dream the fact that her and Nickolas where able to have seven healthy children, with taking the Elixir of Life they had no idea how their bodies would react and with the two miscarriages Perenelle had gone through before she was constantly worried that it was all a dream that would end at some point.

"Why the weird faces?" While Perenelle was deep in thought Nickolas had noticed the looks most of his children where sporting. They looked at each other before taking a few steps away from Castor and James. Castor looked at James before turning to his parents.

"I think it'll be better if we show you" He opened his arms and reluctantly James walked into them and hugged her brother. Instantly the glow appeared, now that they where aware of it, it was blatantly obvious. Worried she turn her head towards her parents.

Fear and anguish filled Perenelle the instant the glow began, feeling how tense his wife became he tore his widened eyes from his glowing children and looked down at his wife who today seemed to be in the know about everything. Feeling lost he nudged his wife who hadn't even blinked and wondered how much more he didn't know about his wife.

"When did it start?" James and Castor stepped away from each other and shrugged, Evie rolled her eyes not truly understanding the gravity of the situation.

"Its actually been since their huge blow out fight eleven years ago when Tom came home. It just has been pretty subtle and we all thought it was just the sun or the light until tonight when there was barely any around" James and Castor just stood awkwardly next to each other, James trying to get a read on her mother's mind but was surprisingly blocked, which was impossible. How ever thinking back through the years she had never known or seen the Ravenclaw Grimoire in her mother's mind or anything to do with this task her mother had told her about centuries ago.

"What are you hiding mother?" James stared her mother in the eye. She knew what was going on and had left them in the dark for so long. Her siblings looked between James and their mother confused.

"James what are you on about?" Billy walked towards her older sister feeling the rage radiating off of her. James tended to be intense and had a temper that rivaled their grandfather Sal's though she always kept an emotionless face, a true Slytherin through and through.

"I can see everything in her mind, he whole life from the time she was born until know, every thought, every idea, every feeling she's ever had, any word she's ever said, I know" James crossed her arms and stared passively at her mother. "But I never once saw anything about the Ravenclaw grimoire or the ritual or anything about Godric or this glow Castor and I seem to have developed. She has a block on her mind and I want to know why and I want to know now!"

"I am your mother Phoenix James Flamel, I do not deserve to be talked to that way!" Their mother slowly stood and matched her eldest daughters emotionless face, the rest of the Flamels stepped back not wanting to be in the crossfire of a face off between their mother and their sister.

"Then act like it! Tell me what you are hiding from me, it obviously has to do with me!" James took a stepped towards her mother, the black tendrils of her magic started seeping out of her. "You don't think I see the way you look at me when you don't think I aware? The quick glances and calculating looks?!"

"Don't make me out as a bad mother Phoenix James, I have done everything in order to protect you and our family!" They all took another step back as their mother's indigo blue colored magic began to seep out of her as well.

"Protect?! Is that what you call keeping us in the dark for CENTURIES protection?!" James took another step, though her face was still expressionless her eyes showed she was seething inside. "Secrets get people killed in our world!"

Their mother broke, the battle was over, their sister had out Slytherin-ed their mother. The tears and emotions she had spent centuries hiding away had all rushed out and she began to sob uncontrollably. Though James felt bad for making her mother cry she didn't dare show emotion, she had won the battle but she hadn't yet won the war with her mother, she needed to know what big secret her mother was keeping.

"Why?" Evie had walked over to their mother and embraced her rubbing soothing circles on her back. She had been chewed out by her sister so many times that she could sympathies with how their mother was currently feeling. Nickolas just stood to the side still in shock of how fast everything escalated between his wife and his daughter.

"Because I didn't want everything I knew to come true" Their mother's eyes where trained to the floor as she hugged her youngest daughter just a bit tighter knowing that it might be last time in a while any of her children would ever hug her this way.

"What do you mean everything you knew to come true?" Evie slowly slipped out of her mothers embraced and looked into her mother's eyes as they all waited for her to answer Katana's question. Nickolas looked at his wife seeing the sadness and resignation in her eyes and she brushed a strand of Evie's dark auburn hair to the side. Evie's shoulders drooped slightly and tears started to build in her eyes as she looked at her mother in disappointment.

"You knew this would all happen? Didn't you?" Though she had whispered her siblings heard every word. "About Tom and Merope and Godric? You knew and you did nothing?"

"I did" Their mother nodded her solemnly as Evie stood and backed away from her in disbelief that their mother knew about Merope and Godric and didn't even try to help the poor girl.

"Since when?" James grabbed Evie's arm and pulled her behind her as if she was trying to protect her, a move that made their mother cry harder.

"Since the day I found out I was pregnant with you, Billy and Reagan, my mother had seen your future James and warned me about everything that has happened as well as what will happen." Her children looked at her with looks that ranged from disappointment to anger.

"What else?" James had a feeling there was more.

"I made a vow to your Grandmother that I wouldn't reveal anything until after it happens, you can't change the future, and its better this way" Nickolas stood to the side still rooted to his spot, he was completely lost on what he should do. On one hand his wife had lied and kept information from them that could have saved them at least the surprise of Merope's passing on the other he was upset with how broken his family had just become.

"What about Castor and I? What is happening to us?" Perenelle slowly raised her head and met her daughter's eyes.

"You glow when you are together because you and Castor are soulmates"


	7. Chapter 7

"What did you just say?" The mask of emotionless indifference James wore fell.

"You are each others soulmates" Uncomfortable silence filled the air, it seamed as if even the fire felt so uncomfortable with the situation it ceased to crackle for a few moments there.

"Are you insane?" Her mother gave her a look. "No really, have you actually gone mad? Castor and I are siblings! Do we favor each other over everyone else's company? Yes. But to say we are soulmates, is just wrong!"

"No it is not! And before you think about calling me insane again Phoenix James maybe you should do some research. Our bodies and our blood are just part of our temporary shells that brings us from the Valley of Souls to the Mortal world" Her children looked at her as if she had just called them all muggles.

"Mum, I think you need to lie down" Katana began to walk towards their mother at a cautious pace. Their mother rolled her eyes before bringing up her hand and giving a sight wave.

"I will be going to sleep, but you will be doing research" A thick black book came zooming towards her and she reached out and grabbed it. "This is the book of Shadows, it has the answers you need James, and it will also help you all understand what will be coming ahead"

She laid the book on the couch behind her, got on her feet and left the library. Nickolas turned from his wife's retreating back to his children who where debating weather or not to read the book. His mind was spinning about all the revelations he had learned tonight, too confused and slightly annoyed with his wife he decided it would be best to spend the rest of the night in his potions lab experimenting, without a word he turned and left the library as well.

"What do you want us to do James?" James turned to Billy who had walked over to her. Katana, Loki, Evie and Reagan where huddled together a few feet away and Castor was just staring at the fire beside her.

"I think you should read the book Billy, it'll only take you a second and you can tell me if I need to read it or if moms finally lost it." Billy nodded and walked over to the couch, she sat down and pulled the heavy book on her lap intrigued by how old yet very well preserved the book was, the cover had nothing but a simple 'Umbrarum" in gold, it was Latin for shadows.

Not wanting to get any closer her siblings stood where they where and watched as she opened the book and the pages began to rapidly flip, Billy's eyes where focused on the fast turning pages. Once all the pages had turned and the back cover closed Billy closed her eyes to process all the information she had just acquired. Slowly she opened her eyes and took a breath.

"You need to read the book Jamie" Billy shuffled to the end of the couch giving her sister enough room to sit and waited. James nodded and walked over to the couch, she took the book from Billy and began to silently read.

Everyone else decided to call it a night seeing that it was going to take James at least the rest of the night and possibly tomorrow to read the entire book. Absorbed in the pages of the book James barely noticed her siblings leaving the library or Billy kissing her forehead and wishing her a goodnight. Hours later she had finished the book and couldn't decided if it was a curse or a blessing to have found her soulmate. What she had decided on was doing more research on the Valley of Souls which thanks to this book could be done with learning and practicing Necromancy.

Necromancy as she had found wasn't about talking to the dead or just bringing the dead back to life it was the study of souls and pulling a soul from the Valley using a portal and into a prepared shell/body. James found it all fascinating and by the time one of her siblings had found her it was late in the afternoon and she was deep in the shelfs on the fourth floor of their library in the section most people would consider restricted as it was filled with many books about Black Magic. She was finishing up her lemon cake and tea and was half way through a tome her grandmother had written about the Valley of Souls.

"James how long have you been here?" She looked up and met Castors eyes, he seemed worried. James moved some the books that where next to her and patted the space on the floor next to her.

"I actually haven't even left the library, come sit down, there's a few things I want to talk to you about Cass" Castor frowned and slid down next to his sister leaning his back on the book shelf.

"Is this about last night? What mother said about us being soulmates?" James nodded putting down the book she was reading and turned to face her brother.

"She's right Castor" James could see the panic in his eyes and reached her hand out to touch his, the change was immediate, Castor felt more relaxed. "Did you feel that? When I touched your arm how it felt?"

"A warmth spread through me, I felt like everything would be ok as long I had you" James gave him a small smile.

"Soulmates aren't always romantically or physically involved with each other" She looked away embarrassed and horrified before continuing. "They just have to accept each other and acknowledge the bond that is between them, after that its like having a best friend who will always understand you because they know what you're thinking, what you feel and what you need at all times"

"Is that how I always know when your feeling sad or overwhelmed?" James nodded.

"Its also how you are the only one who has found me here amidst the books, I actually put up a repelling ward that only you've surpassed" Castors brows shot up towards his hair line. James snickered. "You should've seen Evie and Billy earlier they had to have walked past this aisle about four or five times looking for me"

"So if we accept and acknowledge the bond it will become stronger?" James nodded and pulled out the book she had read earlier on soul mates and flipped to the bond rituals chapter.

"Yes we would be able to find each other anywhere in the world, communicate mentally and even feel exactly what the other is feeling. But there is also a big downside" Castor paused from looking through the book and looked up at his sister with an eyebrow raised. "Accepting the bond and going through the ritual will make us crave to be in each others presence more often and find that in the presence of others you're not as happy and you feel as if a part of you is missing when the other isn't around and can make us a bit anxious"

"That doesn't seem that bad, that already happens to us if you think about it" James nodded.

"But that's not all I've read that there is always a dependent and an independent soulmate, the dependent soul mate tends to be more intense and needs the emotional support of their soulmate more. The independent soul mate will enjoy and love being in the presence of their soulmate but they wont NEED it, they are calmer and gentler and are usually empaths" Castor nodded.

"So you are saying you are the dependent soul mate and I'm the dependent soul mate" James nodded. "And your worried that you'll become too dependent on me?"

"No, I'm worried that you'll leave me and I'll go mad with the agony of being abandoned. I know I'm a lot of work and I tend to be intense and have an attitude about everything and anything and I can be bossy at times, but it might be too much for you one day" A lone tear escaped her eyes and she looked away ashamed at the lack of hold she had on her emotions. "Just because we are soulmates doesn't mean we have to be each others chosen partner, you could fall in love with someone and you wont feel the need to stay with me Cass, but I will, I will always choose you over everyone because I need you, you don't need me"

"Jamie look at me" Castor gently grabbed her chin and made her face him. "What makes you think I would ever choose a mortal witch over my brilliant sister?"

"You never know, you might be able to see everyone else's future but you can't see your own, there are thousands of witches out there and many more will be born. I just don't want to put you in the position where you have to choose between real love and a commitment to me" Castor rested his forehead on hers, looking into her red rimmed eyes and stroked her tear stained cheek with his thumb trying to sooth her.

"I will always choose you, Jamie, always. Even if I fall in love with someone in the future I will never abandon you and the unfortunate witch who falls in love with me will have to understand that" He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her. "Why are you so worried?"

"I don't want to become like him, I feel like I'm already turning into him" She laid her head on her brothers shoulder and gripped his favorite yellow jumper that their aunt Helga had gifted him the last Christmas she was alive.

"Become like who?"

"Godric"

"Godric Gryffindor? He had a soulmate?" James nodded.

"Everyone has a soulmate its just finding their soulmate that is practically impossible, its also why most people go mad when their soulmate abandons them or chooses not to go through the bond ritual, being rejected by the person or soul who is suppose to complete you is soul crushing, literally too" Castor tightened his hold on his sister trying to reassure her.

"I wonder who his soulmate was" James raised her head to look at her brother.

"Isn't it obvious?" She raised her brow as he thought through all the possibilities. And just as he as about to give up he had it.

"Grandma Ro was his soul mate?" James sighed this was the complicated bit.

"I don't think so, he was in love with her yes, but I think Grandfather Sal was his soulmate" Castors eye brows seemed to be trying to disappear in his hair line. "Before you say anything, I've learned in the book of shadows that though our physical bodies are split into two genders our souls are not, think about it, Grandfather Sal and Godric where best friends since they where young, they did everything together, they built Hogwarts together after meeting Grandma Ro and Aunt Helga and even after Grandfather married his first wife Lucidia, Godric was still apart of his life but after she died he went into isolation and later spent most of his time with Grandma Ro"

"So you are thinking, Grandfather was the independent soul mate and Godric was the dependent soulmate?" James nodded putting her head back on his shoulder. "So when his soulmate and the person he loved got together, he lost it, not only being pushed away and having an unfulfilled bond but also losing the person who could have filled the void of the loss partially was in love with his soulmate and not him"

"I think so, I also think Grandfather didn't know, I don't think Godric wanted to tell him, it probably would've ended worse in away you know? I think to Godric it would have been like losing his wife to his best friend, Grandfather Sal being the wife in this analogy, its like the ultimate betrayal" They sat there both deep in thought about what the repercussions of this being true could mean.

"Jamie, I actually came to talk to you about something else, something we all think we need to do and soon" worried James sat up and turned to her brother.

"What is it?"

"I think its time we tell Tom the truth"


	8. Chapter 8

Tears and yelling was all James could remember from the two hour long talk she and Castor had with Tom, everything else seemed like a blur up until the three way hug they had in the end before Tom left to his room claiming to need some time and space. After much back and forth arguing with her father it was decided that as they where the ones to bring Tom to Flamel Castle, they would be the ones to tell him.

Soaking in her rose and honey bath James sat and thought about all the years she had spent with her family, the fights, the laughs, the tears and the memories they've all had these past centuries really put into perspective the reality that she didn't know how life would be without her siblings or her parents in it. She closed her eyes and sunk deeper into the bath trying to relax when she heard a soft knock on her bathroom door.

"James, may I come in?" Sighing she wordlessly opened the door with barely a flick of her hand. Perenelle slowly walked in trying to find the words that would help start to mend the broken relationship she currently had with her eldest daughter. "I heard you and Castor told Tom today about who he truly was"

James nodded half wanting to reach out and talk to her mom after such an emotionally draining day, pretending to be an emotionless blob for a few hours was draining. But on the other hand she was still conscious of the fact her mother knew more about the future then even Castor did. With a large sigh she shook her head, she had to talk to her mother, they've spent centuries together and will spend far more centuries as well it would make everyone's lives easier if they got along.

"Yes we did, by the end Tom came around, he was furious and hurt at the beginning but once we explained everything and I mean everything, he understood. He says he'll need time to come to terms with everything" Perenelle nodded and sat at the edge of the tub.

"I'm sorry about keeping things from you Jamie, I know what you had to do to Merope to save Tom has slightly haunted you since then and I'm sorry I couldn't prevent that pain for you. I just don't know what to do anymore, can you believe that? Me, Perenelle Flamel nee Slytherin doesn't know what to do to help her family, I'm useless now" James reached out and grabbed her mothers hand.

"Don't be so hard on yourself mother, Grandma Ro is very thorough, you wouldn't have been able to find a loophole big enough in the vow you made to her to able to tell us anything before you where able to. I understand, I was just upset, the other day so many things happened all at once and we learned so many things that frightened me and then I find out that you knew it would all happen just took me over the edge." Perenelle scooted to down towards her daughter and reached down to hug her.

"Its your instinct as Heir and eldest child to watch over your siblings, you're like a second mother to them, if anything where to happen to your father and I, it falls to you to take care of the family and our legacy James and I know that's a lot of pressure which is why Magic has blessed you with so many gifts as well as having Castor with you, I feel a little better knowing you'll be taken care of as well" James embraced her mother who thankfully didn't mind getting her robes wet with bath water.

"Don't say things like that, soon I'll be able to find a way for you and father to live without relying on the stone. I just need more time, Tom will need it too, there is no way I'm letting him move on to the valley of souls before we forcibly have too." Perenelle laughed and hugged her daughter even tighter knowing how hard the coming years will be, deep down she felt a strong feeling of regret and helplessness on little impact she could make in the coming future, all she could do was wait and help her children prepare for it.

Laying on his bed Tom stared at his ceiling, the constellations him and his siblings where named after where shinning brightly against the black, purple, blue and green swirls of his ceiling. James had hand painted them when he was two, admitting that sometimes doing things without magic was better because they lasted longer, she had a great knack for art and music though she hardly showed it. He also remembered Katana scoffing at the magic-less ceiling and spelling the stars to shine yellow during the day and glow blue throughout the night, though since then she's had to spell them twice yet the paint still remained perfectly intact.

He had laid there all morning and afternoon trying to wrap his head around the reality that though Perenelle and Nickolas had blood adopted him and every single test muggle or magical would show he was there son, he really wasn't in reality. Though he is distantly related to Salazar Slytherin, he isn't his grandson, it felt as if his whole life was flipped instantly especially with the fact that he had an evil twin out in the world in the form of Tom Marvolo Riddle in a muggle orphanage all the way in London.

He closed his eyes and remember his sister face stoic as always yet her eyes, her only and biggest tell where filled with worry, shame and sadness. He knew his sister was hurting not yet knowing how he fully felt, he hadn't felt her going through his mind which he appreciated, sometimes it was nice to process things without her peering through. He also remembered the worried glances his brother Castor kept throwing towards James as if he was afraid she would explode any moment. Though they had explained their new found bond to him, it still baffled Tom how in tune they where with each other.

He rolled over and looked out the large bay window in his room, the rest of his siblings minus James where playing a game of bludger ball out in the frigid air. He winced as Loki got hit in the face with the bludger, the only thing worse than James being beater during a game was Katana being beater during a game, they where both ruthless and incredibly competitive which was how the game came about apparently. Tom recalled begging to play with his siblings until the first time he got hit, bludger straight to the back, he was bed bound for twelve days, though looking back James didn't hit it as hard as she usually would and didn't aim at his face.

He frowned and sat up, he should be out there trying to out fly his sister's bludgers instead of moping about in his room, yes he wasn't born from his mother's womb, but they chose him, HIM, as a son and a brother, they've taken care of him, taught him, played with him and loved him exactly like they did each other if not more. He would show them they made a great choice choosing him, he would study harder and live better than any other mortal.

He frowned again, he was mortal. It had never really occurred to him that he was anything but immortal like his family, but now really thinking about it, he didn't heal as fast as his siblings naturally did or had any special talents except for parsletongue which everyone but his father had. He was going to pass on someday, all alone while the rest of his family lived on.

"Tom?" He looked up to see his father had come in during his internal struggle. "Are you alright? I've been knocking for a while, I'm sorry to intrude into your room but I was worried" Tom ran over to his father and hugged him like his life depended on it.

"It's alright dad, you can come in whenever you like, you don't even have to knock, just come right in" Tom in his hysterical rambling didn't even realize he had begun to cry. Nickolas bent down and wiped the tears that where rapidly streaming down Tom's cheeks.

"Tom what's happened? Are you that upset about everything? You know we'll always love you no matter what little Tadpole" He brushed more tears away wondering if they should have told him sooner or waited until he was a bit older.

"Its not that dad, I'm just scared"

"Scared? Of what?" Tom took a deep breath trying to control his tears and his breathing thinking of all the techniques his mother and sister had taught him throughout the years on how to control your emotions.

"I'm scared of dying all alone dad, who will talk to me on the other side? What if they all hate me" Nickolas chucked and embraced Tom.

"Oh little Tadpole, you wouldn't be alone, though you haven't met her your mother Merope will be there as well as your Grandfather Sal, your Grandma Ro and your Aunt Helga. All the people who you never had the chance to meet will be there waiting for you with open arms wanting to get to know you" Tom pulled back and searched through his fathers eyes, If there was one natural talent Tom had, though it wasn't as grand or amazing as his sibling's, it was the way he was able to tell when someone was lying or being truthful.

"I believe you dad" Tom hiccupped and began to wipe his checks with the hem of his forest green weekend robes.

"Good, there is nothing to fear about moving on, although I wouldn't expect you to prepare for that just yet, James has spent centuries finding a way to ween your mother and I from the elixir of life, and since you have come into our life's she has been working harder than ever, trust me if she has any say in it we will all live a lot longer then we expect." Tom laughed, he knew how stubborn and driven his eldest sister was, if anyone could find a way for him to be come permanently immortal it would be James.

"Father can I ask you something?"

"Anything little tadpole" Tom rolled his eyes.

"Alright, two things. One, why do you call me little tadpole?" Nickolas chucked having expected this question for years. "And two if there is nothing to be afraid of, why did you and mum want to be immortal?"

"Well, for your first question, I give everyone a special nickname, to me James is Nixie, Reagan is dragon, Billy is raven, Castor is badger, Katana is my viper, Loki my little flame, Evie my little firecracker and you are my little tadpole. The names don't really have strong meaning they are just the first things that came to mind when I first held all of you and they've just stuck." Tom nodded they where sentimental names his father had especially picked for each of them. "Not even your mother escaped my nickname giving though hers is more predictable, even if she doesn't let anyone but me call her Perry"

"And the reason you chose immortality?"

"Well that's simple really, we just wanted more time, more opportunity to create and invent knew things, the fact that the philosophers stone also turn any metal into pure gold was a happy accident that's allowed us not only to have a large home and many books, but its also allowed us to help others with our potions and research" Tom smiled, his parents and his siblings never ceased to stop researching and learning new things.

"So when the time comes when you feel there is nothing more you could learn or do?" Nickolas smiled brightly.

"There will always be new things to invent and learn about Tom, but when we are ready and feel that you are all able to take care of yourselves and all our affairs are in order we will choose to pass on. Though we have lived a full and extended life, no one truly wants to live forever. It will get boring after a while" Nickolas stood and ruffled Toms hair. "Come on why don't we go see if anyone has been able to escape Katana's bludger, and see who needs their nose reset"

With that they slowly made their way to the gardens where Loki, Evie and Reagan where sporting broken noses, Billy a dislocated shoulder, Castor a broken leg and Katana a large gleaming smile. Nickolas shook his head as he watched Evie and Loki begin to heal each other before turning to tend to their siblings. He definitely needed to talk to his children again about aiming for other areas besides the face when playing bludger ball he though to himself. He smiled as Tom walked over to Castor and let him lean on him while Evie healed his leg, a large smile on all their faces as Katana went on about her on going victory. Looking back at the house he spotted James and Perenelle watching from James's bedroom window, smiles on there faces. His family was back to being happy, it was all he could ever ask for.


	9. Chapter 9

May 1938. Rome, Italy.

The Flamels where sat around a large table enjoy a lovely meal in a muggle restaurant. Every few years they would venture out of the castle and into a muggle city to experience the food, entertainment and culture to better understand how muggles lived and to get ideas for new inventions and books they could gear towards the muggle population. They also tended to stay in the muggle side of the cities in fear of having their parents recognized in the wizarding villages and streets and being stared at like animals on display.

"Why don't you children run along and go to the local art museums, your father and I need some alone time" The Flamel children made disgusted faces before finishing up their wine and leaving the restaurant. The weather in Rome was fairly warm with a light cool breeze, they wore appropriate muggle garments and where thankful for the light weight garments their mother had bought them and the fact that the could control how much they grew so everything always fit perfectly.

"So what museum shall we go to?" Katana turned to Evie with an exasperated look.

"Do you honestly think we are actually going to an art museum? When have we ever gone to place mother has suggested?" Everyone stopped walking once they where far enough away from the restaurant their parents where in and turned to James.

"I was thinking we'd go to the island, Tom hasn't been there yet and we haven't been there in a while" Everyone but Tom nodded their heads with large excited smiles on their faces.

"What Island?"

"Avalon of course dear brother" Tom raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Everyone else snickered.

"King Arthurs Avalon?" James shook her head.

"Of course not, we just like to pretend it is, we bought it three centuries ago and build a castle on it, mum and dad don't know, it's a sibling secret so you can't tell them, alright?" Tom nodded excited to be included in the secret. "You also can't get to the isle unless you have Flamel blood and have to floo from a very specific floo only we would be able to get to"

They all grabbed onto each other as James flashed them all to the library in Slytherin Cottage, up in Northern Scotland. Tom looked at the library in confusion, he hadn't been to the cottage none of them have since the last time they snuck out to go to Avalon. Dust had gathered in their absence covering the books and tables, it looked as if someone had spilt a bag of flour.

"What is this place?" Tom walked to the nearest book shelf and dusted off the spine of a book.

"This is Slytherin Cottage, Grandfather Sal built this for his wife and son to live in while he was at Hogwarts, when they died he closed it for a few years until he was banished and he brought mum her with him. Once Grandfather died we moved to Grandma Ro's house in London while father had the Castle built in the countryside right outside Paris. I haven't properly lived here since I was four years old" James turned to grin at a baffled Tom. "Yes, that was quiet a while ago"

Loki and Reagan cleaned the fireplace and hunted down the floo power that they had hidden and placed a preservation charm on. Katana and Evie where helping Billy find books about weather magic and Castor was searching for more books on necromancy for James. By the time the fireplace was cleaned and the floo power found everyone had finished what they where doing and waited to floo to the isle.

"Sisters first" Reagan opened the jar of floo powder and offered it to Billy, Katana and Evie. They each took a handful and one after another shouted 'AVALON' and vanished in a swirl of green flames. Next went Loki, Castor and Tom and after a small disagreement Reagan went next. James grabbed her handful of floo powder and place the jar on the fireplace mantle, she took a look around the library with a sad frown, one day she would return the cottage to its former glory. James stepped into the large fireplace dropped her powder and with a shout of 'AVALON' she too vanished in a swirl of green flames.

When she landed she cleaned the soot out of her clothing and walked out of the entry room and into the foyer where Castor was waiting for her. Her sisters and Reagan where already out on the beach, while Loki was giving Tom a tour of the castle. Her siblings loved coming to the island, no parents and no tilly to spy on what they where doing. Here they kept their more adventurous inventions and experiments, the type that could potentially either blow up or could be dangerous if they where let out near muggles.

"The beach or the Lab?" James raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. "The lab it is!"

While their siblings where off enjoying the sand and water James was beginning to create her newest and what would later become her most treasured invention. During the last year the thought of either her parents or Tom dying haunted her, there was no way to always be near each other and she knew the older Tom got, the more freedom he would want, they couldn't keep him locked up in the castle forever. After many sleepless nights she began planning a way to alert her if any of her siblings where in trouble and after some more thought she decided to make one for all her siblings.

Many designs and plans where tossed throughout the last few months nothing seemed to fit. Finally, one afternoon while having tea she noticed the necklace her mother always wore, a gift from Grandfather Sal, inside it held a small moving portrait of her and Grandfather Sal that was made when she was seven. It was her mothers most treasure possession. A month ago she had Tilly take an order for eight gold lockets to the local muggle blacksmith and had received them a few days before.

The preservation charms she had put on the castle's ward stone had always held no matter how long they had been away. Going through the potions stores she found all the ingredients she needed and slowly started chopping and prepping the ingredients. Castor stood to the side watching as she worked.

"Can you go and collect seven hairs and bit of blood from everyone else?" Castor nodded and took the twelve vials James handed him. "Put the hair and the blood in separate vials and label them please"

Castor left and James placed a pewter cauldron on a fire and added water, once it boiled she added shrivelfig and powdered moonstone. Adding more ingredients, she watched as the potion changed color, by the time Castor came back it was at the point in which the potion was ready to add the finished lockets. She wrapped a hair from each of her siblings and her own into a separate tiny emeralds and dipped them in the blood of the corresponding Flamel child and then duplicated them seven times. She placed them strategically around the front of the lockets surrounding the 'F' she had the blacksmith carve into each of them and cast a permanent sticking charm on them.

Once she finished she placed all eight lockets into the cauldron and let them sit in the potion. She vanished the rubbish and waited hoping it would work. She went through her notes and calculations again and again. Once she knew the potion was successfully absorbed into the lockets she levitated them out and laid them on the table. She layered several enchantments on each of them carefully making sure to lay one enchantment right on top of the other then adding wards preventing theft, and protecting the lockets from getting burned, dirty or lost. She placed one on Castor and put one on herself, then gathered the rest of the lockets in her arm and went to find where he siblings where.

"These are amazing Jamie" Castor admired the front of his locket.

"If they work, they'll be amazing" They found that Tom and Loki had joined the others on the beach and where just finishing an intricate sand sculptor competition.

"Who do you think is the winner?" Evie was putting the finishing touch on her sand mermaid and looked up to see her sister carrying six golden lockets with emeralds on her arm. "What are those for?"

Everyone looked up from their sculptors in curiosity, James smiled and placed a locket on Evie and then made her way to her other siblings placing lockets on them adding silent protection charms on her sibling's bodies themselves as she went. She ended with a worried Tom who like everyone else had watched his sister slowly and silently place enchanted lockets on them, the magic practically rolled off them.

"James?" She smiled slightly at the confused look Tom had.

"I made these lockets to alert us when one of is in need, they will either feel really warm or cold" She lifted her locket to show them the front. "Each Emerald signifies one of us, when it feels warm it means one of us is hurt or in danger, when that happens the corresponding emerald will glow telling us which one of us it is, we'll also be able to apparate to them"

"And when it goes cold?" James looked at Evie, sweet, naive, goofy Evie. Her sister was at times too innocent. The rest of her siblings had already caught on.

"When it goes cold it means one of us is dead, when that happens the corresponding emerald will fall off" Startled Evie looked back down at her locket before looking back up at James. "We wont always be living together Evie, their will be a point where we all will want to venture off and do different things, these lockets will give us all peace of mind knowing the others are safe and alive"

"What about mom and dad?"

"Mum and dad hardly ever leave the castle they are the safest out of all of us" Evie nodded, her parents preferred staying at home then going out anymore, they've lived many centuries and although new things and places have come about, nothing made them as happy then they where when they where home.

"Do they actually work?" James shrugged and turned to Billy.

"I'm not sure I haven't actually tested them out yet"

"Well there is no time like the present!" Katana turned and cast a bone breaker curse at Reagan.

"Merlin!" All the lockets but Reagans glowed and warmed up against their hands. An alert to check on Reagan popped up in their minds like an alarm.

"I guess they do work!" James threw an unamused glare at Katana and sent a numbing charm at Reagans arms while Loki mended it.

"Come on we've been here three hours already, mum and dad are bound to be looking for us." Once everyone had sanded themselves off and changed back to the muggle garments they where wearing before flooing back to Slytherin Cottage and flashing back to Rome.

They found their parents walking a street over from the restaurant and after a quick gelato they went home. Late at night Tom laid in his bed admiring the locket his sister had given him, she always thought of everything he thought, though she had gone through what was on the front of the locket she never said what was on the inside. Opening the locket he saw something he didn't understand, a young girl woman a few years older than him with dark black hair and emerald green eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

"Who is the girl on the inside of the locket?" Confused they all turned to Tom who was standing in the door way of the kitchen still in his pajamas.

"What locket?" Katana made a face at Tom signaling him to stop whatever he was about to say.

"Nothing mother, pass the jam please" James made eye contact with Tom and mouthed 'later' hoping he would understand that she hadn't told their parents about the lockets, telling them that meant telling them about the island and she was not ready for that, their where too many experiments her and her siblings had done on that island that her parents couldn't know about.

"I couldn't sleep all night thinking about her, James please, I need to know" Nickolas and Perenelle looked between James and Tom and then at all their children who suddenly seemed on edge in confusion.

"What is going on?" Tom didn't understand why his sister didn't want to tell him, his mind too foggy and delirious from lack of sleep kept him from realizing the mistake he just made.

"Like I said nothing mother, I think the lack of sleep is making Tom say ridiculous things" James stood and walked over to Tom. "He needs rest, ill take him to bed"

Taking Toms arm she flashed them to his room, she was too impatient to just walk. She led him to his bed and dropped his arm. "Are you insane?!"

"I don't understand?" Tom rubbed his tired eyes confused on what his sister was talking about.

"Go to bed Tom we'll talk later" She tucked him into bed and gave him a few drops of dreamless sleep she kept on her incase she needed it, usually she only really slipped a bit into Evie's tea when she became too hyper and began annoying her.

The rest of her siblings had rapidly finished their breakfast before slowly trying to leave the breakfast table and avoid their mother's questions. They left out the conservatory doors and grabbed their brooms, with listening ears everywhere the only place to have a truly private conversation was up in the air since they didn't want to raise suspicion by leaving the castle grounds to go to the island so soon. James met them a few minuets later and together they flew up until they where a few meters away from the top of their wards.

"Is Tom ok?" James gave Evie and unamused stare.

"Of course he is he's resting and hopefully will be more tactful when he wakes up" James rubbed her brow in frustration, it wasn't even a full day and already Tom was slipping.

"Why can't we tell mom and dad about the lockets? I mean besides that you made them on the island" Usually the more reserved and quiet of the bunch Loki at times seemed to be the naturally brightest of them all picking up on things unsaid.

"We can't tell them because I used a few spells I probably shouldn't have"

"What do you mean? Like black magic? Mum uses it all the time we all do, you know what dad says, as long as it doesn't harm anyone and it doesn't have any lasting negative effects its alright" Her siblings nodded in agreement.

"Yeah Katana is right Jamie, and as long as you know how to control it and you don't let it control you" James looked at Billy hoping to have an alley once she knew.

"That's not it exactly" James bit her lip and looked towards Castor who although was there with her when she made the lockets wasn't their when she was in the beginning stages of making what he thought was a simple potion.

Flashback:

Once Castor had left with the vials James pulled put the book of shadows from her pocket and enlarged it. Engorgio! Flipping through the pages she found the ritual potion she needed and after a small mental debate she proceeded with the potion making sure she had enough time to do the spells and put in the more obscure ingredients that would sure make Castor question what in Merlin she was doing. She knew she had to convince death to agree to what she was about to do and hoped what ever or who ever death was would. Once the first step was over she impatiently waited as the potion began to change color, suddenly a thick black curling smoke billowed out of the cauldron and grew almost suffocating her.

All of a sudden a white hand came into her line of vision and in a split second the smoke was gone and a tall man with shoulder length jet black hair and cold black eyes appeared wearing long black robes that looked as if they where practically made of silk and wisps of smoky air. He leaned against the potions table and stared at her expectantly.

"You called?" James blinked her heart felt as if it had turned into a snitch and for the first time in a long time she began to second guess herself. He waved a hand over her face before taking a scroll out of his robes. "Phoenix James Flamel, born November 10th, 1595, Oldest daughter of Nickolas and Perenelle Flamel, blah blah blah, why have you summoned me?"

Gathering her wits and swallowing down the urge to run, she took a deep breath and without giving it another thought she told him.

Present time:

"You did what?" Billy was seething she couldn't belive how irresponsible her sister had acted. "Why would you do that?"

"I already told you, it was to prevent one of us from moving on without the others" The others where confused, no one besides Billy, James, and their mother had read the book of shadows.

"Billy what did she do?" Billy glared James angry that she didn't even think to ask them.

"She tied our souls together"

"What do you mean she tied our souls together?" Billy raised a brow at James and James sighed.

"The short version is I linked our life's together so no one moves on unless we all move on" Her sibling's brow furrowed confused.

"Tell them the long version Phoenix, they deserve to know exactly what you did" James inwardly cringed no one ever called her phoenix unless they where really annoyed with her or they where angry.

"I entwined all our souls together so that when one of us dies we are stuck in a ghost form until the rest of us die, you wont be able to move on unless we all do, even if it takes centuries" Most of her siblings shrugged it didn't seem to bad. "However, none us will be able to have or produce children, ever"

"What?" Everything had sounded so nice to Evie until then, unlike the rest of her siblings besides Billy, she had dreamed that one day, maybe she'd have a child or two.

"Why are you so upset? We've lived centuries without children half the time we still act like children." Katana rolled her eyes, she couldn't understand why her sister was being so dramatic James had given them something that people would kill for.

"Unlike you I actually wanted to become a mother one day Katana, and I know Billy did too that's why she is so upset" Evie felt crushed, her mother had always told her what a joy it was being pregnant and giving birth to all of them and that even though at times it was incredibly difficult, having and raising them was the best thing her and their father had done.

"I'm sorry Evie, I didn't know that's how you would feel about it" Evie wiped angry tears from her eyes.

"You didn't even ask!" She took hold of her broom and flew back down.

"What else did he ask for?" James shook her head.

"Nothing else, that was his only condition"

"Who are you talking about?" James rolled her eyes, she had just gone over this.

"Dante" When the confused expression on her face appeared again James elaborated. "Death Katana, his name is Dante"

"Is he attractive?" They all stared at Katana in disbelief. "What? I want to know!"

"Why don't you summon him yourself and see?" Katana shrugged a man who came to you whenever you wanted? Sounded like the perfect person for her.

"I might just do that, I'll need the book though" James rolled her eyes and handed her the shrunken book.

By midday Tom had woken up and found James in the forest behind the castle, she was sitting in the middle of a shaded meadow surrounded by thestrals, bowtruckles and wood fairies. He leaned against the tree watching and memorizing the genuine smile on his sisters face. Being responsible for the rest of them made James mature faster and hide her emotions more in order to have a level head at all times. It felt like at times all James had was the cold Slytherin mask on, she had it on for so long it was incredibly rare to see a smile on her face, she looked more like Billy than herself.

"You might as well come over and have a seat Polaris, we need to have a little chat" She looked up from the baby thestral she was petting and waved him over. He walked over and sat cross legged next to his sister and smiled when a bowtruckle came over and brought him a few blades of grass and a tulip petal.

"You've put me in quite the position this morning" Tom frowned, he couldn't remember what he had said, only the furious face his sister had when she had taken him back to his room and put him to bed. "You don't remember?"

"Honest I don't, I was so tired this morning I don't even remember walking down to the kitchen" James sighed.

"Well, the short version is that you mentioned the lockets in front of mum and now she's been hounding all of us for answer, you know how she is" Tom nodded slowly, his sister was currently a little too calm and he needed to be on his guard for the tongue lashing she was sure to give him. "Evie and Billy are furious with me because I wasn't completely honest with you all when I gave you the lockets"

"What do you mean?"

"I tied all our souls together so no one would move on with out the others and because I did that none of us can have children" She turned her had to the side. "I'm sorry for deceiving you Tom"

"Is that why Billy and Evie are mad at you? Because they wont be able to have children naturally?" James raised a brow slightly.

"What do you mean naturally?" Tom crooked his eyebrow.

"I mean you said we couldn't produce children but you girls couldn't have children, having and making children are two different things, what exactly was specified?" James frowned and tried to recall the exact word Dante had said.

"He said, your brothers will never produce heirs and you and your sisters will never be able to carry another's heir" Her eyes widened in shock, she hadn't even though of that. "another's heir?"

"So he made it so that only he can father any of your children" Tom held back a grin, his sister had finally met her match. "I wonder why?"

"Because he is immortal and we are immortal"

"Which means he's probably lonely and this is his way to have a family" Tom shrugged.

"Actually he has a sister named Donatella, or Life, he's death and she's life, he's dark and she is light. He's the moon and she's the sun he's-"They turned to watch Katana who just came skipping into the meadow with a silly grin on her face. They turned to each other with matching grins.

"We get it, you're completely in love with him" Katana happily plopped herself in front of them.

"He is something; like the dark twisted soul my dark twisted soul has been waiting for" She sighed happily completely oblivious to the fact that her siblings where struggling to keep their composure. She sighed again and James and Tom lost control doubling over in laughter.

"What kind of love potion did he slip you?" James said in between her laughs. Tom face was as red as an apple as he began struggling to breath.

"Love potion? Oh no, he made me like this just by doing very very good things to me" That completely cut off their laughter at its knees.

"Excuse me?" Toms eyes bugged out as the realization sank in. Katana smiled and bit her lip as she relived what happened only moments before.

"OK stop, this is not something our thirteen-year-old brother should know you pervert!" Katana rolled her eyes.

"He has to learn at some point" Tom whipped his head from James to Katana and back again mouth agape.

"What?!" James rolled her eyes.

"Stop traumatizing the poor boy and come help me, I need to talk to Billy and Evie and I want you to be there" Katana groaned.

"Fine!" Together they left the meadow and poor Tom who was frozen in shock behind.


	11. Chapter 11

AUTHORS NOTE:

I am so sorry for how long i has taken me to get back to writing this book, i've had really bad writers block and i honestly though no one was even interested in my book until i was messaged about, so Thank you Lovey, Charlie and James for your messages and helping me realize people actually read this book and want me to continue it. Also sorry for how short this is, the next chapter will be longer i promise!

[*.*]

James and Katana found them in the observatory having tea and small finger sandwiches with Tilly. Their soft chatter faded as Evie saw them near, she narrowed her eyes at them and sat upright her body going rigid. James rolled her eyes.

"Calm down Vega we come in peace, snakes honor" Billy snorted and scooted down the large couch to allow both James and Katana room on her side.

"What do you want? Have you come to crush more of my dreams or are you here only to wound me further?" James sighed internally and took a moment to regain her emotions, one thing her siblings definitely had in common was their quick temper and ability to urk one another without even trying. But mostly on purpose.

"Take a calming draught you shrewd, we've only come to talk so I suggest you reach behind you and get whose ever wand you have shoved so far up your-" James cut Katana off by placing a silencing charm on her.

"Well as Katana has so eloquently put it, we've come to talk, I've made a mistake of sorts earlier and I've come baring news that I'm sure will please you immensely" Evie raised a sharp brow at her and pursed her lips, without trying James could already see the streams of thoughts running like a bloody novel in her head.

"And what is it? Are you finally admitting you've done something that was incredibly over even your humongous, egotistical, selfish head perhaps?" she smirks and takes a long sip of her tea, her eyes shinning with vicious glee. James taps her fingers impatiently against her leg and counts to ten in Latin to keep her self from leaping over the small round table and physically choking that smirk off her sisters face.

"Actually its about your ability to have a child, but if we are going to sit around and be catty witches than I guess I'll go seeing as out of the four us I actually have important things to do" She rises half way before she's stopped.

"Wait, are you being honest James?" She looks at her youngest sister and the desperate look in Evie's eyes almost makes her feel guilty. Almost.

"Obviously or I wouldn't have bothered to come here otherwise" She smooths and tucks the back of her dark emerald robes and sits back down deciding not to torture her sister any longer even though she does so wish to relish it just a second or even a month longer. "With the help Tom we have come to the amazing revelation that you are able to have a child"

"But I though tha-" James held up her hand to stop Evie's question so she could fully explain.

"You can't have another mans child but you can have death's child-"

"Erebus" Katana casual said as she ate a strawberry and cream sandwich.

"What?" James sat back and turned her head toward Katana, Billy lowering the tea cup that had been paused just inches from her lips looked up towards her and Evie with a piece of bread slightly hanging out of her mouth turned wide confused eyes to her sister.

"That's his name, it isn't Death, that's just his job title you could say" Katana shrugged taking large and very unladylike gulps of her now cold tea and helped herself to more strawberry and cream sandwiches. Her sisters shared looks of both befuddlement and amazement. Amazement at how much information Katana was able to get with a seemingly short introduction and visit with Death or Erebus that apparently lead to more than just a tantalizing conversation between the two of them and befuddlement at how casually and freely she was giving away such information.

"Ok? You could have Erebus's child and then-"

"Not whilst I'm alive she couldn't" James quirked an eyebrow at Katana and brushed off the breadcrumbs she had just accidently sprayed onto her shoulder. Katana swallowed the rest of her food before clarifying. "Sorry but I'm not sharing my new bed warmer especially now that I know how very talented he really is"

James, Billy and Evie all made faces at the insinuation Katana was making and Evie sighed looking at her sisters, they say when wanting to know how your child is going to act just look around you, children tend to take on the mannerisms, attitude and the personality of those around them, did she really want mini temperamental versions of her siblings who wouldn't be able to control their magic, if they even had any, for the first eight-nine years of their lives? She shuddered the originals where enough already and she had spent the better part of four centuries with them. Maybe she just needed a pet or another hobby?

"Hello anyone home?" Evie snapped back to reality.

"What did I miss?"

"Billy telling Katana how selfish hoarding the only sperm donor able to impregnate you and her is" James took a slow sip of her tea noticing how her sisters looked at her in a calculating way probably wondering if she would ever consider having children. The answer to that would be a big fat no, James had no desire of having to spend the rest of her days being responsible for another being after taking a similar role with her siblings. "Are you ok Evie? You look out of it"

"I'm fine this is all just a lot to take in at once, I think I need to lay down for a bit" Evie stood and left the observatory and headed to her room where Loki was already waiting for her. He knew she didn't want to talk and just sat on her bed reading as she slept knowing having him near helped her more than any pretty words and over the top gestures would.

[*.*]

"Do you ever wonder ever exactly what our children get up too when we aren't with them?" Nickolas put down his new herbology book and looked curiously over at his wife who stood at the balcony watching as Castor, Tom and Reagan raced on griffins across the property. "I sometimes feel like they have a whole different world they go to at times, or maybe I'm just feeling sentimental because they are all so grown up and have been for such a long time I can hardly remember when any of them except Tom where children"

Perenelle sighed deeply and sat down next to her husband resting her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and tried to picture her eldest children as kids and found it hard, they preferred the bodies of seventeen year olds which she technically couldn't blame them for as she herself preferred appearing has a 30-year-old, she frowned a bit, what role did she actually have with her children? They where by all means adults though they still lived in the castle with her and Nick, would they stay here forever? Would she want that? Was it what was best for them? Those questions plagued Perenelle through dinner and into bed, the various ideas and scenarios played through her mind as she began to formulate a plan to coordinate with the visions her mother given her before the birth of her children, visions she used to cherish but now despised as the new visions unlocked in her mind and she saw what was to come for her family.


	12. Chapter 12

I know I'm a horrible person for the twist I have in this chapter and for the fact that I am honestly not sure when i will upload next, i write when I have a burst of inspiration or when i get reminded that people actually enjoy this book. So sorry in advanced.

[*.*]

Planning and scheming, its what she was always good at, like playing chess except you never know where the other pawns are placed. Perenelle placed her knight down on her marble chess board. Nickolas had the board made especially for her for their three hundredth anniversary. It wasn't a magically set, but a muggle set, the talking pieces distracted her when she was in a scheming mood.

1960, Flamel Castle.

James paced in her room in an incessant fashion. Her mother and Evie had been talking for over four hours in the library and everyone had specific orders not to come in or interrupt them. While everyone else ran wild across the expansive grounds surrounding the castle James was having an internal argument with herself. To spy or not to spy, she had already lasted four hours without peering through a portrait but to be honest she was on the edge of a hysterical anxiety attack, her obsession of having to know everything at all times was truly being tested that afternoon.

It was well into the evening, just before dinner when everyone was called to the foyer for a quick announcement. Confused, seven Flamels arrived to the foyer where Perenelle and Evie where already waiting a suitcase.

"What's going on?" Katana leaned against the wall. "Are you both going somewhere?"

"I am not, your sister how ever will be gone for the better part of a decade" Katana's head snapped towards James as did everyone else's except their father who was looking at his wife and youngest daughter in sad confusion. "I must ask you all not to ask any questions, your sister will be on a quest of sorts that doesn't require any meddling from the rest of you, she will be sending us letters now and then about how she is doing but that is all, I forbid any of you for interfering and as your mother command you to never look for her, or try to extract information from her, since I know you children too well I am going to have to ask for an unbreakable vow from all of you, right now"

One by one each of them preformed the unbreakable vow with their mother, the feeling of betrayal and suspicion Evie could see burned deep in each of her siblings especially James and Loki. She could hardly look her twin in the eye, they had never kept secrets and now she was leaving and he couldn't even ask her why or where or if he could come too. Their father went last though he was sad to see his daughter off to Merlin knows where he trusted his wife and repeated the vow his children had without difficulty. And just as the light strands imbedded themselves into their parents skin their mother stood back wrapping and arm around Evie and a second later they vanished in a whirlwind of a portkey. For Five minuets the rest of the Flamels stood staring at the spot where their mother and sister had stood all frozen in confusion on their very abrupt exit. Loki was the first to recover and swiftly left to confine himself for weeks in his room. Slowly one by one the rest of the siblings left leaving Billy to guide their devastated Father into the lounge.

"I didn't even get to give my little flower a hug before she left" Billy wrapped her arms around her father she didn't understand why her mother didn't give them all a chance to at least say goodbye to Evie, they made an unbreakable vow like she wanted the least she could do is let them hug their sister.

Their mother returned a few hours later and though had not asked for it her children and husband left her alone for the rest of the night, she poured a glass of Ogden's Best Fire whiskey and sat in her drawing room letting her self unwind after the day she had, it was a lot harder both emotionally and mentally to set her mothers visions on the path she was told. She closed her eyes and grimaced at the angry and accusatory look Loki had given her when she had left. She knew doing this would hurt not only her children and her husband but her self as well, but alas their was nothing to do now but wait, plan and hopefully see the positive bringing's that should be coming their way.

As days became weeks and weeks became months the pain and feeling of utter betrayal didn't lessen as Perenelle had hoped, instead both her children and husband threw themselves into their works constantly leaving her to eat her meals in painful solitude. But as the New Year came threw so did a bit of celebration. On the rare evening in which her family decided to dine with her Billy came into the dinning room wearing a radiant smile.

"What did they say?" Billy shook her head and practically pounced on James.

"They said yes!" James gasped before tightly embracing her sister beaming with pride.

"Congratulations Billy!" James could feel a lump beginning to grow in her throat, the past months where hard on everyone especially Billy and Loki. They both worked relentlessly on their projects and now one project was bear great fruit.

"Thanks Jamie"

"I'm so proud of you sister, you've worked so hard and I'm glad they've decided to print them" A collection of soft gasps greeted them and the sisters where soon surrounded by their siblings hugging and shouting praises and congratulations towards Billy, their father sat smiling watching as he got to enjoy his children acting like happy children again.

"When will they print Billy?" They all stepped back to give her some space and Billy grinned at Castor, her excitement doubling.

"Next month the first round of Prints with be in stores across Europe and by summer we will know if any schools pick them up!" They gave Billy a round of applause each so proud and happy that their sister has finally gone off and created something she wanted to share with the world.

"So what did you decide on naming them? Spells for dummies?" Reagan joked.

"No, you don't need anymore spell books tailored for you specifically" Billy teased. "I Titled them 'The Standard Book of Spells Grades 1-7' and have chosen Miranda Goshawk as my alias"

"Well I think we should have a toast do you think? Tilly!" Their father stood and walked over to them as Tilly brought flutes of champagne. "To Billy and her Books may they sell fast and bring knowledge and insight to children everywhere!"

"To Billy!" They all clanked their cups and laughed basking in the joy of the celebration. On the table Perenelle sat silently watching a single tear ran own her face as she began to realize just how much her mothers plan was going to hurt her.

1969, Cokeworth.

In a playground a whole country over Evie was smiling as she shook the hand of the boy her mother had told her about.

"Hi I'm Lily, Lily Evans"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

1971, Flamel Castle

My Dearest Older Sister,

I hope this letter alleviates any tension or scorn that has been because of me, I hope you find yourself in good health and spirits. I know you must be anxious about whereabouts and what I have been up to these eleven years, though I am not at liberty to say my quest has so far been both annoying and a joy. I have learned so much these past years, about myself, the world around me and about different people and how they work, you would be most surprise by the lack of tack, mindlessness and utterly outrageous outspokenness people have here, it is honestly a miracle I haven't blasted anyone to bits.

This coming fall everything will change, and no I will not be returning home, at least not yet, I know mother said I would be gone a decade but plans have changed as the new visions have unlocked for mother. I'm both excited and devastated, my heart can't truly decide at least not at this moment. I'm excited for the opportunity I have been given and devastated that I will be alone in this endeavor and not have you all by my side.

How's Tom doing? Is he still aging? Have you found a way to extend his life besides that half-brained schemed you cooked up with Death all those years ago? I miss everyone terribly, I feel as though you my dear sister are the only one I can safely communicate with for now, you who is always so critical and controlling would give me the hard truth advice I need in this coming journey, everyone else would fill me with happy and fantastically complimentary advice and I don't think I need that for where I am going. Before you ask, no I am not going to any prison, the place I am going is a place filled with rich history, mysterious corridors, fantastic feasts and tumultuous emotions.

Tempted to track me down yet? I tease dear sister, don't tempt the vow mother forced you all to make, I'm sure its been harder on some than others. I must go it will soon be time to prepare for my departure and I would like to spend the rest of these glorious summer days out with nature. Please write to me sister, I know that I don't deserve to hear from any of you after being silent all these years but trust me it wasn't feasible as I didn't have an owl yet, not until today anyways. Until next time my dearest sister, send my love to everyone.

Eternally Yours,

 **Evie**

James set down the letter on the arm chair of the couch she was sharing with Billy and Castor and looked up to see the reaction on the faces of her siblings. Anger, that was what stared back at her, all of her siblings where angry, not at her but at Evie, after years of no letter they all thought she had decided to move on from the family, create a new life in which she wanted no contact, and now out of no where eleven years later they receive a letter, no not they James received a letter from their sister.

"I don't know why she bothered to write, she isn't coming back that's for sure, even if she wanted to I don't know if I would be too chuffed to have her back after all this time" Loki stood and walked towards the library doors. "Ill see you all at dinner, I don't want to be apart of this conversation anymore and I don't want to hear about her, please keep me out of future letter readings"

"Me too, I have no real hate or any feelings really towards her, I just am indifferent" Katana stood and walked over to where she had been researching earlier.

"And you four? How do you feel?" James turned to the last of her siblings with a quizzical brow.

Billy shook her head, her anger slowly was turning into sadness. Castor and Reagan both shrugged, no words could describe the emotional confusion they both currently felt. She turned towards Tom, now a whooping 48 years old, married with a two rambunctious children Persephone, now 8, and Thaddeus, now 6, he stood facing the fire before slowly turning towards her.

"I don't know Jamie, part of me is mad at her, she missed so much! These past eleven years have been the best and most difficult of my life, my wedding to Thea in the Swiss mountains, the birth of my children! Birthdays, milestones, accidental magic, first words! She has missed all of it and I don't think I can get over that, you where all there, to support me, help me, to love my children even when they where being the most annoying of cretins" He took a breath to settle new swell of emotion that had erupted in him. "But part of me misses her deeply, she was my best friend, my confidant, she always had my back and she is still our sister, its just so much to take in at once"

"I understand Tom, if she writes back would you want to read it?" He took a moment to think about it and nodded.

"I think I would but please don't tell her about what has become of my life, when she comes back, if she ever does I want to be the one to tell her" James nodded and watched as he grabbed floo powder and flooed back home to Austria. The birth of Toms children had been an unexpected surprise until Death shed light into the situation, Tom wasn't immortal, he had a normal lifespan which loop holed him out of the agreement she made with Death. Luckily he met a witch while traveling through the Netherlands and fell deeply in love with her, Thea was his saving grace, his reason to look forward to aging.

James stood and walked back to her room leaving her siblings to deal with the derailment of their emotions so she could write her Evie back. As she sat down at her desk she stared down at the blank piece of parchment trying to decide what to write, should she tell her sister of the anguish and rage she ignited in their siblings or keep her out of the loop with what has gone on these last years. Sighing she began to write a short letter.

Dear Evie,

Your letter has found me in good health, I was very surprised to hear from, as where our siblings, mother and father are currently traveling and are not aware of your letter. Everyone is as usual; I have not found a way to stop Toms aging although I do not think he minds anymore he is after all a very busy 48-year-old wizard. I am glad your quest has been fruitful and educational and am curious to hear more about it and am willing to give you advice should you need it.

Your Sister,

Phoenix James


End file.
